Praying for others

This letter is from Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus, appointed by the command of God our Savior and Christ Jesus, who gives us hope. I am writing to Timothy, my true son in the faith. May God the Father and Christ Jesus our Lord give you grace, mercy, and peace. When I left for Macedonia, I urged you to stay there in Ephesus and stop those whose teaching is contrary to the truth. Don’t let them waste their time in endless discussion of myths and spiritual pedigrees. These things only lead to meaningless speculations,[a] which don’t help people live a life of faith in God. 1 Timothy 1:1-4 The Apostle Paul considered himself as the spiritual father of Timothy. In his greetings to him in his first letter to Timothy, he expressed his prayer for this young believer. This is an example that every believer should follow. God gave His children the means so they could ask Him and intercede for others. For Paul, he asked God to provide grace, mercy, and peace for Timothy. It is by God’s grace that Timothy’s faith will endure the trials he will be facing as he leads other believers to grow in their faith. It is by God’s grace that every believer will grow in their love for each other. The church that Timothy was leading was filled with bickering among one another. This prompted Paul to tell Timothy to instruct the church to replace their bickering with love for one another. “The purpose of my instruction is that all believers would be filled with love that comes from a pure heart, a clear conscience, and genuine faith” (1 Tim. 1:5). He asked God to provide mercy for Timothy. It is by God’s mercy that individuals could be reconciled with God and others. God’s mercy shown on the cross paid for the punishment of sin. Peace is what will be the result when grace and mercy abound in the life of a believer. A child of God growing sustained by His grace will endure during times of difficulties because of the presence of the peace of God in one’s life. “Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus” (Phil. 4:7). So how do you pray for others? Do you include in your prayers for others that they will receive grace, mercy, and peace? It is by His grace that people will come to know Jesus as their Lord and Savior. Once God’s grace is experienced, His mercy releases those that trusted Him from the impending punishment because of sin. Having a relationship with God is being at peace with Him. “Therefore, since we have been made right in God’s sight by faith, we have peace with God because of what Jesus Christ our Lord has done for us” (Romans 5:1).

Blessings.